I just found out something!
04-16-2014, 04:29 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Sacramento County, CA
Posts: 71
I just found out something!
Many Southern States do not require deer tags
for whitetails, of course!
Guided hunt trips can be had for a 'song'.
I have been looking at some deer guide sites
for states like North Carolina and Alabama, lately.
Often, the limits for a short one to three day hunt can
be up to 2 does and 1 buck.
Being in California, how does the hunter booking for down South transport his meat home keeping it fresh should he be so lucky?
for whitetails, of course!
Guided hunt trips can be had for a 'song'.
I have been looking at some deer guide sites
for states like North Carolina and Alabama, lately.
Often, the limits for a short one to three day hunt can
be up to 2 does and 1 buck.
Being in California, how does the hunter booking for down South transport his meat home keeping it fresh should he be so lucky?
04-16-2014, 04:39 AM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
So where are these "no tag" requirements other than in a highfenced canned hunt piece of private property and what hunts can be had for a "song" and how much is a "song? Have you ever heard of ICE in a COOLER to keep things cold?
PS: Yesterday you said you couldn't even afford good dogfood for that Lab you plan on buying and now you're looking at guided deer hunts?!
PS: Yesterday you said you couldn't even afford good dogfood for that Lab you plan on buying and now you're looking at guided deer hunts?!
Last edited by Topgun 3006; 04-16-2014 at 04:43 AM.
04-16-2014, 04:50 AM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,230
Many Southern States do not require deer tags for whitetails, of course!
While they don't require tags, they still have to be checked. most Southern states allow multiple deer per season and the license has places where the license must be notched when a deer is killed and a registration number has to be obtained either through a check station or by calling in.
Take my VA license for instance. It has spots for 6 deer, a bear and 3 turkeys. When I take one of the above I have to notch the tag in the appropriate spot and enter the registration number. You can't kill unlimited deer even though they don't have "tags".
Guided hunt trips can be had for a 'song'.
Not necessarily. Read the fine print. Many outfitters list a hunt for a small amount and then charge a kill fee for bucks. Those can add up quick. Plus a lot of Southern hunts are managed for QDM and if you pop a small buck or a button buck they are going to make you pay a fee for it.
I have been looking at some deer guide sites
for states like North Carolina and Alabama, lately.
Often, the limits for a short one to three day hunt can
be up to 2 does and 1 buck.
There are a lot of deer in the South so this is common. But, remember just because you can shoot that many doesn't mean you will. Deer in the South are like deer anywhere and they aren't just standing around waiting to get shot. Plus meat care has to be taken into consideration. I wouldn't book a hunt planning on killing 3 deer in 3 days but getting 2 shouldn't be too hard if you know what you're doing.
Being in California, how does the hunter booking for down South transport his meat home keeping it fresh should he be so lucky?
I'm assuming you have heard about an invention called a cooler? Bone the meat out, bag it in heavy duty bags, put the tag on the bag and pack it on ice. With a decent cooler it will keep several days. If needed, check the ice, drain the water out and replace the ice. Only a rookie tries to take full carcasses across the country when boning them makes the process simpler.
While they don't require tags, they still have to be checked. most Southern states allow multiple deer per season and the license has places where the license must be notched when a deer is killed and a registration number has to be obtained either through a check station or by calling in.
Take my VA license for instance. It has spots for 6 deer, a bear and 3 turkeys. When I take one of the above I have to notch the tag in the appropriate spot and enter the registration number. You can't kill unlimited deer even though they don't have "tags".
Guided hunt trips can be had for a 'song'.
Not necessarily. Read the fine print. Many outfitters list a hunt for a small amount and then charge a kill fee for bucks. Those can add up quick. Plus a lot of Southern hunts are managed for QDM and if you pop a small buck or a button buck they are going to make you pay a fee for it.
I have been looking at some deer guide sites
for states like North Carolina and Alabama, lately.
Often, the limits for a short one to three day hunt can
be up to 2 does and 1 buck.
There are a lot of deer in the South so this is common. But, remember just because you can shoot that many doesn't mean you will. Deer in the South are like deer anywhere and they aren't just standing around waiting to get shot. Plus meat care has to be taken into consideration. I wouldn't book a hunt planning on killing 3 deer in 3 days but getting 2 shouldn't be too hard if you know what you're doing.
Being in California, how does the hunter booking for down South transport his meat home keeping it fresh should he be so lucky?
I'm assuming you have heard about an invention called a cooler? Bone the meat out, bag it in heavy duty bags, put the tag on the bag and pack it on ice. With a decent cooler it will keep several days. If needed, check the ice, drain the water out and replace the ice. Only a rookie tries to take full carcasses across the country when boning them makes the process simpler.
04-16-2014, 05:51 AM
#4
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,590
We routinely transport boned mule deer and elk from Colorado to Vermont on a 3 day road trips. The meat is still cold when we get home. If the animals are taken early in the hunt we process them out there and then bring home the frozen packaged meat. It is always still frozen after a 3 day trip. Most of the time we use dry ice which can be bought out there at many stores.. There isn't any melting water to deal with. Ice works well but you should check and open the drain plug every day so water doesn't accumulate around the meat.
04-16-2014, 07:47 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: MN
Posts: 1,260
Jon I lived in SC for 3 yrs and I think I knew what you meant. You do have to buy a hunting license, but there are no tags for the deer itself, and there is no check station, or calling in. It was really weird the first yr I hunted. I felt like I was breakng the law by shooting one not tagging it and throwing in the back of the truck and going home. I can point you to a few good places in SC if you want. SC has the earliest deer opener in the country. Good luck.
04-16-2014, 09:14 AM
#6
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Buffalo, WY
Posts: 992
Last time I hunted in the south (GA in 2009) you could shoot 12 deer on a license and all you had to do was notch out a place on your license indicating the date of kill and sex of the deer. I think you also had to write in the county of the kill also.
The liberal bag limits were enacted when the insurance companies put pressure on the legislature in an effort to reduce car/deer collisions.
I never killed anywhere near 12 deer in a season and didn't know anyone who did. There are so many deer there it would be easy enough to do, but why?
The liberal bag limits were enacted when the insurance companies put pressure on the legislature in an effort to reduce car/deer collisions.
I never killed anywhere near 12 deer in a season and didn't know anyone who did. There are so many deer there it would be easy enough to do, but why?
04-16-2014, 01:51 PM
#7
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Sacramento County, CA
Posts: 71
Southern deer hunting can be good. What the deer lack in size, they make up for in numbers. But, it is a different type of hunting than you find back west. I grew up hunting in CO and when the Navy sent me to the South it took me about 5 years to get the hang of hunting whitetails because the methods are different. If you have never tried it don't be surprised if you don't get as much game as you think you will. The guy raised in Dixie that has hunted whitetails since he was 5 will outhunt you for a long time.
but up to two whitetail does. How many coolers do I need and what sizes?
I would have to travel by commercial air from California to
hunt in Virginia, or some other state, perhaps. I want no bucks, just does for
meat anyway.
Am I allowed to ship raw meat on commercial air?
I am concerned about the transport costs of all the meat for 3,000 miles.
Last edited by JonMBailey; 04-16-2014 at 01:57 PM.
04-16-2014, 03:04 PM
#8
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,230
How many coolers can I take on an airplane?
You can take as many as you want to pay for. The airlines will normally let you take 2 checked items and anything over that will incur extra charges. Some people pack their clothes in the coolers and when the hunt is over have the clothes shipped back home. But, a gun case and a cooler will bring you to 2.
I am interested in taking no bucks but up to two whitetail does. How many coolers do I need and what sizes?
A boned whitetail doe will fit in a single cooler of about 50 qts. So if you want to bring 2 does home you'll need 2 coolers. This means you will have an extra baggage charge.
I would have to travel by commercial air from California to hunt in Virginia, or some other state, perhaps. I want no bucks, just does for
meat anyway.
Why is that? CA isn't the only state that has highways. You can drive across the nation in 3 days. I'd rather drive and see the land than sit in a metal tube at 30,000 ft.
Am I allowed to ship raw meat on commercial air?
Yep. Contact the individual airlines or the TSA for the current regulations. Don't trust what you read on the net to be the gospel truth. better to go to the source.
I am concerned about the transport costs of all the meat for 3,000 miles.
If you're concerned about transport costs, then you're not serious about the hunt. Transport costs are not going to be the major expense. Hunting out of state or out of the nation is an expensive hobby. Money is only green paper and it has no worth until it is spent. If the money concerns you, pick a different hobby. Take a minute and check out the pic album on my profile page. None of that happened by worrying about transport costs.
You can take as many as you want to pay for. The airlines will normally let you take 2 checked items and anything over that will incur extra charges. Some people pack their clothes in the coolers and when the hunt is over have the clothes shipped back home. But, a gun case and a cooler will bring you to 2.
I am interested in taking no bucks but up to two whitetail does. How many coolers do I need and what sizes?
A boned whitetail doe will fit in a single cooler of about 50 qts. So if you want to bring 2 does home you'll need 2 coolers. This means you will have an extra baggage charge.
I would have to travel by commercial air from California to hunt in Virginia, or some other state, perhaps. I want no bucks, just does for
meat anyway.
Why is that? CA isn't the only state that has highways. You can drive across the nation in 3 days. I'd rather drive and see the land than sit in a metal tube at 30,000 ft.
Am I allowed to ship raw meat on commercial air?
Yep. Contact the individual airlines or the TSA for the current regulations. Don't trust what you read on the net to be the gospel truth. better to go to the source.
I am concerned about the transport costs of all the meat for 3,000 miles.
If you're concerned about transport costs, then you're not serious about the hunt. Transport costs are not going to be the major expense. Hunting out of state or out of the nation is an expensive hobby. Money is only green paper and it has no worth until it is spent. If the money concerns you, pick a different hobby. Take a minute and check out the pic album on my profile page. None of that happened by worrying about transport costs.
04-17-2014, 06:19 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 2,186
I have lived in and hunted deer in Alabama since 1974. As of today, Alabama has what I refer to as a semi-tagging system. It is barely inforced due to scarcity of game wardens, but the penalties are hefty if you get caught to breaking game laws.
Alabama's tag consists of keeping a written record of the kill on spaces provided on the hunting license. The record is to be done as soon as recovery is made. Right now there is no legal requirement to report or check-in the kills, but hunters are asked to report kills ASAP via a simple system free app from the Al. DNR or calling in on an "800" number.
The limit where I hunt is a total of 2 deer/day, only 1 of which can be a buck. There is a limit of 3 antlered bucks/season, one of which has to be an 8-pt. If the proposed change to the doe/day limit for 2014-15 passes, many counties including where I hunt will have a reduction to 1 doe/day.
As for "outfiitters' ..... beware. There are very few really outstanding free range places down here to on which book a hunt. Most of these ... their hay day is long gone due to the loss of countless acres of soybean production back in the 1980's which were mostly turned into planted pine plantations or cattle pasture land.
I am of the opinion that another contributing factor is that there is very little public land on which to deer hunt. I hunted these "Game Management Areas" when I first came to Alabama, but because of a near shot-by expereince, I will never hunt another Alabama management area. Having large expanses of public hunting area has led to the rise of "hunting clubs" and individuals who lease up about any decent habitat that comes available. That is just what I have done since 1976.
In addition, do your homework as to the timing of the peak estrus. It varies widely across the state. Where I hunt it is early December. Only about 30 miles away as the crow flies it is mid to late January. Because of light winters, food stays plentiful and most area abound with good bedding spots, so the big boys are seldom seen in daylight except in the peak of the rut. As for size ... a 200# buck is a bigger one. Big does will be in the 125#-135# range.
As far as taking meat back to Cal. I have buddy that has come from the Fortuna area since 2003. He hauls his the venison back, boned out and frozen, in a simple igloo cooler ... taped up with ordinary duct tape. When he has killed 3-4, he has hauled the "extra" in an insulated soft bag as a carry on!
"Flags makes a good point about hunting technique .... if you are used to more of a spot and stalk style or where you hunt you able to see across draws for 300-500-1000 yards, tehn make a stalk .... forget that here !! You'll be looking at most shots in the 100 yard or less range and in cover, with very little time to judge the deer ... unless you are set up on a large food plot. More than likely you will be sitting in one place for hours on end waiting for deer to pass by rather than stalking around. It took my California buddy years to get the hang of hunting this style, just as it took me years to become a fair "spot and stalk" hunter in the wide open spaces of eastern Montana ... and making good on 300-4oo yard shots.
If you want some detailed info about hunting in Alabama, e-mail me.
Alabama's tag consists of keeping a written record of the kill on spaces provided on the hunting license. The record is to be done as soon as recovery is made. Right now there is no legal requirement to report or check-in the kills, but hunters are asked to report kills ASAP via a simple system free app from the Al. DNR or calling in on an "800" number.
The limit where I hunt is a total of 2 deer/day, only 1 of which can be a buck. There is a limit of 3 antlered bucks/season, one of which has to be an 8-pt. If the proposed change to the doe/day limit for 2014-15 passes, many counties including where I hunt will have a reduction to 1 doe/day.
As for "outfiitters' ..... beware. There are very few really outstanding free range places down here to on which book a hunt. Most of these ... their hay day is long gone due to the loss of countless acres of soybean production back in the 1980's which were mostly turned into planted pine plantations or cattle pasture land.
I am of the opinion that another contributing factor is that there is very little public land on which to deer hunt. I hunted these "Game Management Areas" when I first came to Alabama, but because of a near shot-by expereince, I will never hunt another Alabama management area. Having large expanses of public hunting area has led to the rise of "hunting clubs" and individuals who lease up about any decent habitat that comes available. That is just what I have done since 1976.
In addition, do your homework as to the timing of the peak estrus. It varies widely across the state. Where I hunt it is early December. Only about 30 miles away as the crow flies it is mid to late January. Because of light winters, food stays plentiful and most area abound with good bedding spots, so the big boys are seldom seen in daylight except in the peak of the rut. As for size ... a 200# buck is a bigger one. Big does will be in the 125#-135# range.
As far as taking meat back to Cal. I have buddy that has come from the Fortuna area since 2003. He hauls his the venison back, boned out and frozen, in a simple igloo cooler ... taped up with ordinary duct tape. When he has killed 3-4, he has hauled the "extra" in an insulated soft bag as a carry on!
"Flags makes a good point about hunting technique .... if you are used to more of a spot and stalk style or where you hunt you able to see across draws for 300-500-1000 yards, tehn make a stalk .... forget that here !! You'll be looking at most shots in the 100 yard or less range and in cover, with very little time to judge the deer ... unless you are set up on a large food plot. More than likely you will be sitting in one place for hours on end waiting for deer to pass by rather than stalking around. It took my California buddy years to get the hang of hunting this style, just as it took me years to become a fair "spot and stalk" hunter in the wide open spaces of eastern Montana ... and making good on 300-4oo yard shots.
If you want some detailed info about hunting in Alabama, e-mail me.
Last edited by Mojotex; 04-18-2014 at 10:34 AM.